page_title: List of African-American firsts
section_title: 1850s
hierarchical_section_title: List of African-American firsts / 19th century / 1850s
caption_attribution_description: English: Sissieretta Jones
context_page_description: African Americans are an ethnic group in the United States. The first achievements by African Americans in various fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "breaking the color barrier".
  One commonly cited example is that of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American of the modern era to become a Major League Baseball player in 1947, ending 60 years of segregated Negro Leagues.
caption: Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones
exif: {}